Why Read This Book

You will learn how the Linux kernel really works by writing, loading, debugging, and optimizing kernel modules and device drivers in a practical, engineering-focused way. The book is especially valuable if you need to move beyond user space and build reliable low-level software that interacts directly with hardware, interrupts, memory, and the kernel’s core subsystems.

Who Will Benefit

Embedded Linux engineers, firmware developers, and systems programmers with some C experience who want to build or debug kernel modules and device drivers for real hardware.

Level: Advanced — Prerequisites: Strong C programming, familiarity with Linux command line and build tools, and basic understanding of computer architecture, pointers, memory, and hardware-software interaction.

Key Takeaways

• Write and load Linux kernel modules safely and correctly
• Implement basic character and platform device drivers
• Debug kernel code using printk, dmesg, ftrace, and common kernel debugging workflows
• Handle interrupts, timers, synchronization, and kernel memory management patterns
• Work with device trees, sysfs, procfs, and kernel interfaces for hardware control
• Optimize kernel code for stability, performance, and maintainability

Topics Covered

1. Introduction to the Linux Kernel and Kernel Development Workflow
2. Kernel Module Fundamentals
3. Kernel Build System and Configuration
4. Character Device Drivers
5. Platform Drivers and Device Model Basics
6. Interrupt Handling and Deferred Work
7. Memory Management and Concurrency in the Kernel
8. Debugging Kernel Code and Analyzing Crashes
9. Device Tree, sysfs, and procfs Interfaces
10. Writing and Testing Real Device Drivers
11. Performance Tuning and Kernel Optimization
12. Best Practices for Maintainable Kernel Code

Languages, Platforms & Tools

How It Compares

Covers similar ground to Linux Device Drivers, 3rd Edition and Linux Kernel Development, but with a more hands-on focus on modern module and driver workflows.